Last night the news broke of a terror attack in London, which left six people dead and more than 30 people hospitalised.

Saturday night shenanigans took a nasty turn on London Bridge and Borough Market last night when a van mounted the pavement and mowed down pedestrians before men jumped out and began to stab innocent victims.

This comes less than two weeks after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

Tonight, a concert will be held to honour the victims of that attack.

Manchester Terror Attack (Image: Manchester Evening News)

But how can we talk to our children about these terrorist attacks?

This is the advice issued by Cheltenham based bereavement charity Winston's Wish in the wake of the Westminster attack in March.

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A spokesman for the charity said: "We have compiled the answers below by drawing on our experiences of supporting children, young people and families bereaved through all causes, including through murder or manslaughter.

"Please see the list of contact details for organisations at the end if you would like to ask other questions on how best to support children affected by these events or by other bereavements."

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Manchester bombing

How can we best explain this to our children?

Talk to children using words they understand and are appropriate for their age. It’s best to use honest, clear language if possible. It’s probably best to tell children information a bit at a time, giving them the opportunity to come back with more questions. Older children will want and be able to handle more information.

The explanation can be basic, especially for young children.

Should we stop children watching television coverage or seeing the newspapers?

This story is upsetting for children because they can imagine something like this happening to them or someone close to them.

The temptation is to try to prevent them hearing about it. However, because other children will have heard the news, it is better for your children to have the opportunity to ask questions and receive reassurance from people they trust. Your judgement of what your child can understand is very valuable.

If your children are used to watching and discussing the news with you, they may be able to watch an early news bulletin with you beside them. Encourage children to ask questions about what they are seeing and answer as well as you can.

As the days after this incident pass, there may be more coverage of people grieving. Children may well find these upsetting to watch and this may provide an opportunity for more honest communication and expression of thoughts and feelings.

Online memorials and vigils in town centres to show sympathy for the people who have died and their families may also trigger questions.

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What should I say about the person who did this?

It’s really hard to be calm about something this terrible. But, if you find it possible, try and distinguish between bad acts and bad people.

Children find the idea of bad people particularly frightening. Children are also very fair-minded and will want reassurance that the person who did this has been caught by the police and will be punished.

Older children will appreciate more details and the opportunity to explore why people do such desperately terrible things and the way the family are feeling.

This can be an opportunity to help young people develop their empathy and reflect on the value of life and relationships.

How can I answer when they ask ‘why?’

If the children want to know ‘why?’ you could say something like:

‘No-one can completely know why. We know it wasn’t an accident. It’s so, so difficult to understand why anyone would be so cruel as to kill other people.’

My children are asking lots of questions about death. What should I say?

It is normal that children, like adults, will try and make sense of this in their own way. They will need the support of adults to do this.

If you feel you can, be honest and try to avoid euphemisms (e.g. say ‘died’ not ‘gone away’). This will avoid confusion, build trust and reassure children that it is ok to talk openly about difficult things. For young children who want specific facts about shooting, you could say something like

‘When someone is shot or stabbed, a bullet or blade goes into their body and causes them to bleed a lot from their blood. Our bodies need blood to make all the parts, like the heart and brain, work properly. If someone loses too much blood, their body stops working and they die.’

This may lead to many more questions about death and dying, and also to questions about what happens after death; for example ‘does it hurt?’.

Your next sentence may depend on how the child reacts to that; some children may be simply interested, others may be upset and want more information or reassurance than this is unlikely to happen again, and others will want to play or do something else – all are perfectly natural reactions.

My children are now scared that I – or they – will die.

Because of the unusual and horrific details of this incident, it is natural that children will question whether this might happen where they live or to people they know. When high profile events such as this happen, young people may temporarily lose their sense of security.

They may ask questions such as ‘what would happen to me if you were killed?’ ‘What would happen if I had to hide during an attack like this? Try to answer with some solid reassurance, such as:

‘We don’t expect anything like this will ever happen here. If one of us died for any reason, you would always be looked after by ­­­­­­______ (the other parent/aunt/uncle/granny/family friend). I don’t expect to die for a long time yet’.

‘The police will do all they can to make sure this sort of attack does not happen here. It is really, really unlikely that this will happen to anyone we know. We will keep you safe’.

There are good story books for younger children that address death and provide an age-appropriate way to handle these sensitive but important conversations. Children who are concerned will appreciate a lot of reassurance and maybe more hugs than usual. Keeping a reasonably normal routine going will help them feel secure.

When appropriate, it can be reassuring for children to know that perpetrators have been caught or have died.